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About the Role

Cognite is seeking a Compensation & Benefits Director to own the global compensation philosophy and strategy, and operational governance. This is a high-impact, business-critical role focused on strategy, financial rigor, and employee experience, aiming to evolve compensation and benefits frameworks to support performance culture, attract and retain talent, and scale with company growth.

Responsibilities

• Own and evolve Cognite’s global compensation philosophy and strategy, ensuring alignment with business growth, talent strategy, and shareholder value creation.
• Architect scalable compensation frameworks across base salary, annual bonus, equity, and long-term incentive programs.
• Evolve compensation structures for new and existing geographies, ensuring market competitiveness, regulatory compliance, and alignment with local market dynamics.
• Drive performance differentiation through compensation design, linking directly to Cognite’s performance frameworks, ratings, and career architecture.
• Monitor global market trends, emerging compensation practices, and evolving pay transparency regulations, proactively adjusting Cognite’s approach.
• Ensure compensation governance frameworks are robust, auditable, and scalable across all geographies.
• Prepare clear, structured materials for Board and Compensation Committee reviews.
• Design and continuously refine annual bonus structures and incentive frameworks across technical, commercial, and leadership populations.
• Partner with HRBP, business Operations, Finance, and executive leadership to ensure incentive models and commission structures align with Cognite’s global Compensation strategy.
• Develop compensation models tied to career architecture, creating clear progression pathways and meaningful reward differentiation across levels and functions.
• Own the end-to-end operational execution of global compensation programs: annual review cycles, bonus processing, equity planning, and promotion-related adjustments.
• Manage and scale automated compensation processes leveraging platforms such as Pave, Radford, and Cognite’s HRIS.
• Partner with Finance Partners to align compensation planning with headcount budgets & financial forecasts.
• Ensure all compensation processes, records, and decisions meet compliant auditability and controls standards.
• Define and track key Compensation metrics including market positioning, pay equity, compa-ratio distribution, retention impact, and incentive effectiveness.
• Interpret workforce analytics to proactively inform compensation strategy, identify talent risk, and surface actionable insights for senior leadership and the Board.
• Provide internal and external reporting and people data for respective audit and compliance requirements.
• Enhance practices in accordance with global pay transparency regulations and leverage data across HRIS, Finance, and benchmarking platforms.
• Serve as a trusted subject matter expert and advisor to the CHRO, CFO, and senior leadership on all compensation, equity, and mobility matters.
• Partner closely with People Business Partners, Talent Acquisition, and Finance to ensure the compensation strategy is embedded in hiring, performance, and planning processes.
• Collaborate across the People & Organization team as a genuine, hands-on partner.
• Build effective partnerships with regional People Ops teams to ensure compensation & benefits is correctly reflected in our system.

Requirements

• 12+ years of progressive experience in Compensation, Total Rewards, or related disciplines, with global scope and direct program leadership.
• Expertise in international compensation practices and frameworks including executive pay, and incentive design — with experience managing equity pools, and Board-level reporting.
• Proven background in a high-growth technology or SaaS environment, including advisory experience at C-suite or Board level.
• Experience designing and governing compensation frameworks across multiple geographies, including pay transparency and compliance requirements.

Skills

• Strategic thinker
• Operational executor
• Strong collaborator
• Genuine partner
• Exceptional executive presence
• Structured communication
• Clear communication
• Confident communication
• Strong financial acumen
• Strong analytical acumen
• Build models
• Stress-test scenarios
• Translate data into clear, actionable recommendations
• Strong AI literacy
• HR technology acumen
• Leverage modern tools
• High ownership mindset
• Thrive in ambiguity
• Move with urgency
• Hold self and team to a high standard

Location

• US (Phoenix, Houston, Austin, and multistate presence)
• Norway
• India (Bangalore)
• Japan
• Western Europe
• UAE

Work Type

• Full-time

Experience Level

• 12+ years

Salary/Compensations

• Competitive compensation

Benefits

• 401(k) with employer matching
• Competitive health, dental, vision & disability coverages for employees and all dependents
• Unlimited PTO
• Paid Parental Leave Program
• Employee Referral Program

About the Company

• Cognite operates at the forefront of industrial digitalization, building AI, and data solutions that solve the world’s hardest, highest-impact problems.
• With unmatched industrial heritage and a comprehensive suite of AI capabilities, including low-code AI agents, Cognite accelerates the digital transformation to drive operational improvements.
• We thrive in challenges. We challenge assumptions. We execute with speed and ownership.
• Our Moonshot is bold: Unlock $100B in customer value by 2035, and redefine how global industry works.
• Join us in this venture where AI and data meet ingenuity, and together, we will forge the path to a smarter, more connected industrial future.
• We’re globally recognized domain experts with an international presence that spans Phoenix, Houston, Oslo Tokyo, Bengaluru, and Abu Dhabi.

Equal Opportunity

• Cognite is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment at work and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive the same level of consideration for employment.